Honduras recognized
Palestine in 2011, a move in sharp contrast to a long-lasting legacy of close links between successive Honduran governments and
Israel.[1]
On May 10, 2013 Honduras and Palestine established diplomatic links, at a ceremony in
Tegucigalpa attended by the foreign ministers of both countries,
Mireya AgĆ¼ero and
Riyad al-Maliki.[1][2][3] Al-Maliki also met with Honduras president
Porfirio Lobo at the presidential palace.[3] The ambassador of Palestine, Mohamed Saadat, presented his credentials on September 13, 2013.[4]
Honduras has the largest Palestinian community in Latin America, after
Chile.[1] The first recorded case of a Palestinian emigrant to Honduras dates back to 1899. The largest wave of Palestinian migration to Honduras took place between 1922 and 1931. Many of the migrants hailed from
Bethlehem,
Beit Jala or
Beit Sahour.[5][6] The majority of Palestinian migrants to Honduras were
Greek Orthodox.[7] There were also
Maronite and
Greek Catholic migrants.[8] A minority (roughly 15-20% at one point) were Muslims.[7] However, later most of the descendants of Orthodox migrants later adopted Catholicism.[9] Many Palestinian descendants have come to occupy important positions in Honduran society. A Palestinian descendant,
Carlos Roberto Flores, was elected
President of Honduras in 1998.[9]